What is Etsy? Etsy is a place to buy and sell things handmade / vintage. Creative? We think so! “Creativity knows no bounds.” While I highly doubt I’m the first person to say or think that about creativity, I feel no shame claiming the line for myself.

This quote is definitely a motto that Etsylives and breathes every day.

So as delineated by this post’s title, I’m going to proceed to give a brief run through of Etsy by answering these questions in order:

Who, What, When, Where & WHY…is Etsy?

Who?

Etsy was founded by Robert Kalin, Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik, and has now grown to 60 employees

What?

In their own words, Etsy is “your place to buy and sell things handmade, vintage and supplies”. Essentially, Etsy is the only e-commerce site in the world where DIY sellers have a platform that’s exactly like a virtual storefront.

Etsy takes $.020 to list a good and boy do the products offered vary. You will find EVERYTHING including unique miniature robot sculptures, for around $40, by tinyrobotfactory.

They also carry the more practical items, like every girl’s dream; an affordable ($14.99), pair of Harry Potter, “Enchanted Golden Snitch” earrings sold by UmbrellaLaboratory. I think if I got them for my girlfriend (which I’m seriously contemplating, by the way), I’d probably get a Bludger hit straight to my “golden snitches”.

When?

The site launched on June 18th, 2005

Where?

Etsy headquarters is located in New York, in DUMBO, Brooklyn (our first thought was the elephant also), which is actually an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Yeah, we think DUMBO is catchier too!

WHY?

Although this is undoubtedly the most poignant question in Etsy’s case, I’m going to try and give a couple of different reasons.

As Etsy put it, “Etsy is more than a marketplace: we’re a community of artists, creators, collectors, thinkers and doers.” Well said!

In 2010, Etsy saw revenues of $314 million! Not bad for DIY-ers, huh?

Apparently, many people think that Etsy and the handmade stuff offered for sale there is not worth checking out, as evidenced by the perfectly named site; Regretsy. For me personally, Regretsy has one of the best tag lines of all time; “Where DIY Meets WTF”. Regretsy features all of the things people are upset they bought on Etsy, including a “Bulls#$@” category.

But don’t let Regretsy get you down.

SheBytes bets you’ll find something unique and original which exudes creativity each time you Etsy!

Jesse Braunstein is a Junior at NYU double majoring in Economics and Psychology. Jesse joined Madison Technology and SheBytes.com in May 2011 as a summer intern. Jesse has been instrumental in utilizing his expanding background to come up with creative perspectives on the Marketing, Advertising and Business Development initiatives at both Madison Technology and SheBytes.com. Jesse’s outlook stems from an Economics and Psychology education and a deep understanding of the individual and how the individual acts within and interacts with the market. Follow Jesse on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his About.me.